We Hear You! Letters from Our July/August 2012 Issue

5. MORE returns to my bedroom, where I now read and enjoy my private time as a woman of style and substance. And wham . . .

Cut off at the knee. Give me MORE time!

--Susan Hopkins

I purchase MORE magazine every month for $4, and there are so many items in there that tell you to go to sites to read the rest or to download things, and I want this in the magazine. That is why I purchase it, and I think $4. is at the high end of magazines. Why don’t you include these things in the physical magazine? I may have to stop purchasing it because I do not think I am getting my money’s worth.—Diann Steed

Lesley, I grew up in magazines, working at Time Inc. for many years. This mag is great for the forty-something and over. You touch on a lot of topics that relate to us gals!!--Debbie G. Sanchirico

Lesley, I am a subscriber to More magazine. I read the piece you wrote on connections and had to write.

I am 54 years old, and when I was about one, my father and mother got divorced. My mother moved my brother, sister and me to Haiti, where we lived with my grandparents, who were missionaries. After a few years there, she found a job in Maryland, and we moved there with a woman from Haiti who was our live-in nanny. My father was nonexistent in my life; however, when I was 16, I met him, and he said he would return. But I never saw him again.

I had a very turbulent childhood and teen years and felt very alone, because my mother and I constantly fought, my sister always sided with my mother, and my brother is handicapped.
When I was in my thirties, I connected with my father’s family. He is from a big Italian family in Pittsburgh. We went to a family reunion, where my father was not, and I instantly found the piece to the puzzle that was missing in my life. I found that I was a lot like my cousins, not only in appearance but in temperament. Unfortunately, we do not stay connected very often. Which makes me sad because sometimes I feel like an orphan. A few years ago, my father died, my cousin told me. I knew I had a half sister, because when my father met me, he told me I looked a lot like her. He had left my mother for a stripper he had met while we lived in NYC. He apparently married her and had a daughter; she’s a year younger than me. One day out of the blue, she contacted me. I was so hoping to have a sister that I never had. But all she could do was talk about how tough her life was; however, she was close with my father, but her mother was a horror. We just did not connect. I still have her number on my cell phone—think I should try again? I am so tired of being abandoned by family. I just don’t know if I could take the hurt again.--Barb Smucker

I have been subscribing to More for several years now and love it! I am 57 and recently retired from my position as a senior research attorney at the Fifth District Court of Appeal in California. The retirement was planned to coincide with my only son’s graduation from high school. What was not planned was my husband’s acceptance of a job in Washington, D.C. The move took us all away from the social life and professional networks we knew. In other words, life as we knew it changed drastically. But I am having so much fun reinventing myself!

More’s stories so often go to the core of what I need to hear in any given month, whether it is how to deal with aging parents from afar, or launching a young adult who still lives at home, or finding a second passion after leaving a first career, or figuring out who I want to be now. Thanks for your good work.

In my retirement, I’ve learned to be a city dweller, I volunteer at a fair trade store, I’ve taken up piano for the first time in my life, and I volunteer teaching English as a second language. I love the latter so much, I have returned to school at the University of Virginia to earn an ESL certificate to teach adults English. I also spend lovely afternoons at the National Art Gallery, spend pleasant days exploring this area with new friends and spend hours relaxing on my deck thanking the world for being such an exciting place! More just seems to fit into this new life so well! Thanks again and keep those articles coming.--Joby Dupuis

Share Your Thoughts!

Comments

After reading" Spinning a Business out of Nothing" I wonder if Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler appreciate President Obama's comment of "you didn't built it yourself". Didn't sound like they built that business with government assistance. Looks to me like a lot of hard work and long hours, but being New Yorkers after leaving California and Colorado , I bet they both will vote for him again. Go figure???

Regarding the article "Is Siri Sexist?" I find the song "Daisy, Daisy" significant as it is the same song that the HAL2000 sang in the movie 2001 as the character Dave was slowly pulling out it's brain.

I was very disappointed in the advice offered in "Your Perimenopausal Handbook". It left me feeling my only choices were HRT or antidpressants, benadryl, oral contraceptives, diuretics or an ADD drug! Seriously? Is this MORE's idea of how far women's health has come in dealing with a natural phase of life in 2012?
There is plenty of evidence, experience and expertise out there to combat the 'HRT or suffer' mentality that has plagued middle aged women since HRT was introduced. Much of it has been championed by Dr. Christiane Northrup, who is barely mentioned in this article. Her advice and expertise is both a breakthrough and life changing.
Personally, after reading 'The Wisdom of Menopause', my life and my attitude has completely changed. I have embraced this completely natural phase in my life, hot flashes and all. A combination of bioidentical progesterone and Estroven have worked for me. This treatment also had an unexpected benefit of stopping my monthly migraines headaches, which I have had for many years, and were connected to hormonal changes prior to my cycle.
I do not expect my experience to be the same for everyone, but you have downplayed any sort of natural supplement and suggested that just because they have not been studied by the FDA, they are somehow risky or dangerous. (Let's not forget all the FDA approved drugs that have caused deaths and other significant debilitating adverse effects.)
I highly recommend every woman experiencing perimenopuase and menopause read Dr. Northrup's book and see that women clearly have choices and our attitudes toward this important stage in life is key to not only surviving it, but flourishing and reveling in it! I have found that instead of a burden, it has been a time for creativity, renewed focus and have embraced this new stage in my life.
Leslie Y.
Cape Coral, FL

Good Afternoon, More Editors--
I have just finished the article in the July/August magazine, and I am so astounded by its depth and capacity to save--me for one. I am at such a crossroads in my life, having lost my job and now moving in with my aging, rather unpredictable father who wants nothing to do with my sweet cat--a very important moral support in my life. Losing my career at this time, having battled a serious illness, and the move-out of my only child, are all too devastating to cope with; but this description of Micki Glenn's ordeal seems so huge compared to my crisis. More than that, however, are the suggestions by the author, Laurence Gonzales, which I will now put into practice as I work through this difficult time. I have now put the book on hold at my local bookstore to purchase it the second it becomes available. Thank you, Mr. Gonzales, Micki, and More editors, for running an article with such valuable advice at such a difficult time for so many people. We need more publications that show depth and compassion in their editorial choices--choices that truly help people deal with the crises of a dispassionate world.
Sincerely,
Alise

I am not renewing my subscription to More for the next year. I have taken several surveys and read many letters from other readers and I don't think we are being heard. There are many women that read your magazine that are not world travelers, or developers, or CEOs, or even seeing our deepest dreams come true because "we have stepped out of our boxes" or "followed our hearts" or "tried a new passion". Do you know some women that read your magazine (I am one of them) have to see if the magazine can fit in our budget that week? Let alone buy a $68.00 bottle of moisture cream. Or a $100.00 blouse. Or open a business. Maybe that catagory of woman shouldn't be reading or buying More? You do kind of own us because I don't know of another magazine that caters to grown women, except Oprah's. And even that one is out there somtimes for the average woman. We are 40, 50, and 60 year old women. Some of us (I am one of them) are at a loss as to what to do with our new older body. I have read 20 articles on what not to wear in the clothes department, what not to say (that is to young and sounds stupid coming out of us), what to not do with hair. Help us out here. Keep the prices down. Don't tell me about a nice jacket, I live in the desert, keep different weather options in mind. I'm not supposed to wear shorts or anything strappy or low cut. I understand that and agree but it is 106 degrees give or take in a lot of the country right now. Please give more info on post-menopause, what can my body do now and what shouldn't I ask of it, what should it look like? I know eye-lids get droopy show me more women that look like me. Thanks for listening, you are, aren't you? Make me want to pay valuable money out of my budget to buy your magazine.

Gasp ... cough ... cough ... I felt like I had a pair of hands choking me as I read through Mitchard's pathetic and needy piece on (her definition) of "friendship".
Wow ... her former friend Liz must be happy to breathe some air without smelling JM's breath in her face every time she turns around. It sounds more like obsession than friendship.
Get a grip, JM ... in fact, get a better self-image and stand on your own two feet.
Ugh.

I really enjoyed the Memoir by Jacquelyn Mitchard about losing an important friendship. I related to it intensely as I too, parted company with a dear friend several years ago whom I believed was my soul sister, only I was the one to do the 'dumping'. Oddly, the impetus behind me letting my friend go, was the sad realization that I seemed to only be included in her world if I was the one who made most of the effort; and she never lacked for a social life full of friends and experiences. I came to feel like a groupie and that it was a privilege if I found that I had her all to myself for an afternoon or evening, when so many seemed to clamor for her time. I grew weary of watching her throw her life away on one failed marriage or relationship after another. I could no longer bear to go through the emotional roller coaster with her when she immersed herself in yet another new flame. I decided not to contact her anymore and I didn't even send any parting explanation to her; I just simply decided it was over and quit calling and e-mailing her. She has never tried to contact me since, not even to inquire why I haven't stayed in touch. I grieved for my friend, but I gained some clear insight on what true friendship is. It's definitely a two-way street.

I've been reading More since the very first issue and have always been thrilled with the content but the July/August 2012 is the best issue so far. Kyra Sedgwick has been my favorite actress for years and I am saddened that "The Closer" will soon end. I admire her ability to keep her marriage strong, as well as her ability to be herself, self-proclaimed flaws and all, in the world of acting. Jacqueline Mitchard's article on friendship was thought-provoking, and the article on women changing their bodies was inspiring. I lost 120 lbs. a few years ago and applaud all of the women for making healthy changes and enjoying life more. As all of them said, it isn't about being a size 2, it's about living your life well.
Thank you for this issue.
Marcia Brinkley
Pahoa, HI

Dear Editor,
If you feature Michelle Obama so "freely" in the literal sense, when will you do the same for Anne Romney and give her a cover profile? If I pay for magazines like yours, I at least want a non-partisan and equal forum for conservative readers. Fair and balanced coverage of all candidates and their spouses is a legitimate request. If you can only write and endorse liberal candidates and their families, you will lose me as a customer, who influences many smart and strong women.

Dear editor, I cant tell you what reading your article "Surviving Survival" did for me. Like Micki, I am also a Radiology Technologist, but that is where the similarity ends. Her accident took place below sea level, mine 12,500 ft above in a skydiving accident. Unlike her, I was not married and I could not have made it through without my two young daughters and my friends. Several of my girlfriends were there for me constantly, Judy took me to physical therapy two and three times a week for six months. Several years younger than me, she died unexpectedly a month after I was able to take myself to p/t. I was devastated. Why Judy and not me? This at a time of emotional struggle in so many ways. Also devastating, twice during my year of recovery, my surgeons discussed the possibility of amputating my leg. I was single and had been actively dating, how was that going to work?! Early one morning I was in the hospital waiting to have one last procedure attempted to save me from having part of my lung removed, when my ex-husband walked in. After berating me, he offered to "put me out of my misery". I was in my most helpless state, emotionally and physically and became nearly hysterical. During this time I thought so many of the same exact things that were voiced in your article, and this has been very healing for me. I was fortunate to find an amazing therapist for my PTSD, but no one I knew could understand what I was going through and how it affected my daily life. My therapist would reassure me that my flashbacks and everything I was feeling was normal, but it is so much more validating and reassuring to hear someone else who has been through it, thinking your same thoughts. I was repeatedly told by everyone how "strong" I was but I never FELT strong. I just did what had to be done next, one foot in front of the other. It is very odd how I came to have this copy of your magazine. My boyfriend (firefighter)handed it to me yesterday, it had come in the mail addressed to his son, no one is sure why. The universe works in mysterious ways. I will be reading it from now on. Sign me, happy to be alive.

Dear: Ms. Lesley Jane Seymour,
After reading your July/ August issue, I must say that I love you r magazine. How refreshing it is to see something that is actually more. It’s more substance. It’s more informative. It’s more meaningful than many of the magazines I come across on a daily basis. I have been a magazine reader since I was 15. I was mostly interested in the pictures of fashion and the latest Hollywood fashion. Well now at age 33 I was looking for more. I was tired of seeing some young, barely dressed supermodel or pop star on the cover of my favorite magazines with the same old headlines of “How to please your man in bed.” As I gave different magazines a shot I found myself board between not being a twenty something reader and not quite ready for the mom’s magazines that only focused on things for after you’ve had kids or the cooking/ housekeeping magazines. Not that there’s anything wrong with those magazines, but I beyond the years of please your man fads, in a happy healthy relationship. I was also seeking more than the latest cooking and parenting trends. I still wanted fashion. I still wanted stories. I wanted more.
What actually hit home with me was a short blurb, an article by Juliann Garey; “What’s the matter with (grown) kids today?” One mothers new theory about the increasing number of adult children who live at home. Yeah that’s me. I am 33 years old, not married, no kids, with a college degree and I live at home. Now of course I thought the article would slam people like me; these “grown kids” now called “Adultescents;” and say we were lazy bums who wouldn’t get a job and liked to live off mommy and daddy (unfortunately some people are like this) but as for myself and many struggling people I know who can’t afford a place of their own with low paying full time jobs are not. This is why I loved the article. Garey didn’t shame us, instead she wrote about how Sally Koslow, the author of the book “Slouching Toward Adulthood,” had sympathy for us. The article touched on how today’s economy made it difficult for us to find and jobs with decent pay to rent or even own a home. In this case the article was about me. My mom was out of town in Italy when I got the mail and discovered her subscription to “More.” I’d remembered reading this magazine once about 8 years ago thinking “oh this is okay, but it doesn’t have the latest fashions and it looks like it’s for older women.” Fast forward present day and wow how have I changed my views. I’ve matured. Not only do I relate to the magazine but I crave the substance it features. I like that it has more mature women on the cover, mentors and women who’ve been through things I’m going through and women who are more captivating than Supermodels. They are Role Models. They’re the kind of women I’m inspired to be more like. After reading a magazine from front to back, all I could think to myself was, “I want more!”
Sincerely,
Cole Monique